From ALL of us at CastCoverz! to ALL of you, may your 2014 be filled with BIG dreams put into action! Make it a GREAT one and Happy New Year!!!
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Category Archives: Comfort and Care
How to Display and Handle the American Flag
In honor of Veterans Day, we’d like to share a few of the guidelines the Federal Flag Code suggests to guide civilians on how to display and handle the American flag properly.
Here are just a few of those guidelines:
- The flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset, though it may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness
- The flag should never touch anything beneath it
- The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery
- The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle, train, or boat
- The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress
- The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything
For more information about how to display the American flag: Click HERE!
Child Safety Halloween Tips
My family loves Halloween. It’s such a fun holiday to dress up and go out trick-or-treating. Because my youngest child has broken nine bones, I always encourage fellow parents to make sure they create a very safe environment during the holidays. I wanted to share with you some tips that my family practices for a safe Halloween every year.
1. Just say no to carrying sharp objects.
As a Mom, I get it, sometimes costumes call for props. Instead of using sharp props, always try to find flexible or rubber-made props (this is where shopping online comes in handy). Don’t let your child carry any sharp objects because they could easily hurt themself or someone else.
2. Trick-or-treat in a group.
If your children are small, you should accompany them. If they are older teenagers, trick-or-treating in a large group of friends is A-OK!
3. Toss any open or homemade trick-or-treat goodies.
This is a big rule in my family. Opened candies or homemade candies that are collected from trick-or-treating go straight to the trash. Always go through your child’s candy bag, just to be safe. As a Mom, I find that it is always better to be safe than sorry!
4. Carving Jack O’ Lanterns should be left to adults only.
Carving pumpkins can be very dangerous and should not be allowed by children. Instead, you or another adult should carve out the pumpkin and allow the children to take out the seeds with a spoon and help decorate. Keeping children away from sharp objects is always a safe bet!
As you can see, there are several ways to have a safe holiday season. Be sure to check out our other Halloween-inspired blog posts HERE, and connect with us on our CastCoverz! Facebook page to share with us your own Halloween safety tips. We’d love to hear from you!
How to Know if a Bone is Broken in Adults
Did you know you are born with over 270 bones? But, many of these fuse together as you grow, leaving a total of 206 separate bones in an adult! Broken bones (also known as fractured bones) are common for both children and adults. In our previous post, “How to Know if a Bone is Broken in Children“, we learned that most fractures are usually due to a fall, athletic activity, or car accident. In addition, some people can be more prone to breaks because of genetic conditions or bone disease that weakens bones.
An X-ray image of a fractured radius showing the characteristic Colles’ fracture with displacement and angulation of the distal end of the radius.
Adults most commonly fracture leg and ankle bones, along with forearms. One-sixth of all fractures treated among adults are known as Colles’ fractures. A Colles’ fracture is a fracture of the distal radius in the forearm with dorsal (posterior) displacement of the wrist and hand (commonly referred to as a “dinner-fork” or “bayonet” fracture.) They are most common in the elderly and often seen in people with osteoporosis.
A doctor may suspect a fractured bone simply based on the appearance of the injured area. Following is a list of signs and symptoms you can use to help determine whether or not a bone is broken in an adult.
How to know if a bone is broken in adults:
- Is the area swollen and bruised?
- Is the limb hanging at a funny angle or look out of place?
- Is the bone sticking out through the skin?
- Did the injured person feel or hear anything crack?
- Can they move the injured area?
- Does it hurt when touched?
- Most importantly, consult a doctor. X-rays of the injured area will usually confirm the diagnosis of a broken bone, although stress or hairline fractures can be difficult to detect on an x-ray. If the x-ray does not show a fracture, but after 7-10 days, there is still pain or something just doesn’t feel quite right, do not hesitate to ask for another. By that time, calcium “ribbons” will be visible. Calcium ribbons occur only when a bone has broken or suffered a Greenstick fracture (a mild bone fracture or bone bend.)
If you suspect a broken bone, do your very best to keep the injured area still, until you know for sure what type of orthopedic injury you are dealing with. Once you know you’re dealing with a fracture and have been casted, you’ll definitely want to visit CastCoverz! CastCoverz! provides fun and functional products that comfort orthopedic patients, from cast covers and walking boot covers, to colored crutches and CrutchWear crutch accessories, we’ve got you covered! OH, and don’t forget you’ll need to keep that cast DRY with DryPro waterproof cast protector, and for some much needed relief from that itchy, stinky cast, try CastCooler!
Feel Better, Heal Better, and be sure to check out our previous post, “How to Know if a Bone is Broken in Children.”